Vanderbilt’s Sargent just officially locked up his PGA Tour card
Gordon Sargent has officially locked up his PGA Tour card for next summer.
In what has for months been a formality, Gordon Sargent satisfied the 20-point requirement for PGA Tour University Accelerated by teeing off in the first round of the World Amateur Team Championship on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. The 20-year-old Vanderbilt junior will be able to take up full PGA Tour membership upon the conclusion of the NCAA Championship in late May and will then be eligible for open, full-field events for the remainder of the 2024 season and the following season (subject to reshuffles).
“Since winning the NCAA Championship as a freshman, Gordon has consistently proven himself as one of the top amateurs in the game, and he’s very deserving of becoming the first underclassman to earn PGA Tour membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We look forward to welcoming him to the PGA Tour after he concludes his collegiate career at Vanderbilt.”
PGA Tour U Accelerated was announced in November 2022 as a pathway to the PGA Tour for college underclassmen. In this program, players earn points for achieving different elite benchmarks, including winning the NCAA Championship (Sargent did that in 2022), reaching No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (Sargent, now No. 2, first accomplished that last February) and playing on a Walker Cup team (Sargent went 4-0 last month to lead the U.S. to victory at St. Andrews).
Competing in the WATC marked Sargent’s 20th and final point. Here’s a full breakdown of how he got to 20:
- Oct. 18, 2023 – Competes for U.S. at World Amateur Team Championship (1 Point)
- Sept. 2, 2023 – Competes for U.S. at Walker Cup (2 Points)
- July 7, 2023 – Makes cut in PGA Tour event at John Deere Classic (1 Point)
- June 16, 2023 – Makes cut at major championship at U.S. Open (1 Point)
- June 15, 2023 – Makes major championship start at U.S. Open (1 Point)
- June 8, 2023 – Competes for U.S. at Arnold Palmer Cup (1 Point)
- April 6, 2023 – Makes major championship start at Masters (1 Point)
- Feb. 15, 2023 – Reaches No. 1 in WAGR (5 Points)
- Aug. 31, 2022 – Competes for U.S. at World Amateur Team Championship (1 Point)
- July 1, 2022 – Competes for U.S. at Arnold Palmer Cup (1 Point)
- June 1, 2022 – Wins 2021-22 NCAA D-I Outstanding Freshman Award (2 Points)
- May 30, 2022 – Wins 2022 NCAA individual title (3 Points)
While Sargent is expected to forego his final year of eligibility at Vanderbilt and accept his PGA Tour card by turning pro next summer, it’s not a 100% certainty, Golf Channel has heard from several people close to the program and Sargent over the past few months. The big decider would be how the Commodores fare as a team at the NCAA Championship as Sargent’s main goal right now is winning an NCAA team title.
Should he choose to remain in school for a senior year, he’d be able to defer his PGA Tour card until Summer 2025.